C.C. Winn FFA Students present Water Quality Study

By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc

The C.C.Winn High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) students presented their Maverick County Water Quality Study findings at a meeting of Maverick County Commissioners Court on November 10, 2014, led by students Larissa Menchaca, Dakota Betancourt, Alexa De La Garza, Karina Alicia Garcia, Leslie Riojas, and Zacarias Molina under the auspices of Agricultural Science teacher, Juan Garcia.

Water is life to all living organisms on Earth, including livestock, wildlife, farmers and ranchers, and humans. The C.C. Winn FFA students elected to study the water quality of water in Maverick County. The FFA students selected to test the nitrate and phosphate levels in three water samples drawn from Maverick County, including Hopedale, due to the easy availability of testing kits for these minerals.

“We play with it. We cook with it. We drink it and it takes up to 50 to 60% of our bodies. What is it, water; but slowly we are using it up. There is 326 million, trillion gallons of water in the world. We use 400 billion gallons of water in the U.S a day. In Maverick County in a household of 3 to 4 people we spend 6,000 to 9,000 gallons of water per month. Our main source for water is the Rio Grande River,” said Dakota Betancourt. Water is easily susceptible to being contaminated and polluted by multiple sources within a community.

Karina Alicia Garcia presented a brief synopsis of the U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty of 1944, which provides for the distribution of water from the Rio Grande, Colorado and the Tijerina Rivers between the United States and Mexico. “Texas receives all its water allocation from the Rio Grande River under this treaty. Under this treaty, one third of the waters’ inflow from different Mexican water tributaries are allocated to the U.S., almost 350,000 acre feet of water annually. All unmeasured inflows are to be divided equally between both countries,” said Garcia.

Garcia pointed that currently Texas has differences with Mexico on that country’s water debt to the Lone Star State, prompting Governor Rick Perry to write to President Barack Obama   and Secretary of State John Kerry to use diplomatic measures to get Mexico to provide Texas the water allocation it is entitled to receive from the Rio Grande, owing approximately 380,000 acre feet of water to Texas. This water debt is more than the total water consumed in a year by 1.5 million Texas residents in the Rio Grande Valley. “This places a burden on the Rio Grande River that is constantly neglected by both sides of the river,” saidLeslie Riojas.

“Our water quality study in Maverick County found that the levels of phosphate and nitrate increases as the water flows downstream of the Rio Grande,” said Zacarias Molina. “The phosphate and nitrate levels in the Rio Grande double as it flows downstream through Maverick County as a result of many polluting sources on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.   For example, a 2013 article in the Eagle Pass Business Journal documented how the City of Piedras Negras, Coahuila was discharging untreated sewer water or solid waste into the Rio Grande south of Eagle Pass.

“Our study found that nitrate is the main compound that comes from solid waste, meaning that our river is being used as a dumping ground,” said Molina. Both U.S. and Mexico parties need to take better care of our community’s sole source of drinking water, the Rio Grande.

“The water not being accessible to anybody because the water is not potable will result in having to purchase drinking water elsewhere. There is high health risks of drinking contaminated water, such as humans and wildlife being poisoned from the water or developing a disease from the low quality water,” said Larissa Menchaca.

“If we cannot supply clean water, we may need to move elsewhere. This issue will only worsen if we continue to ignore it and continue with our bad habits,” said Menchaca.

Not only are humans affected by unsanitary water from the Rio Grande, but also livestock and wildlife are affected as local farmers and ranchers provide them Rio Grande water. Unsanitary water conditions will also be consumed by livestock and wildlife, which humans subsequently eat, consume, or drink.

Local farmers and ranchers also irrigate their crops, land, and livestock with Rio Grande water. If the Rio Grande water is contaminated, it will affect the food chain including humans.

“Water is the key to a thriving community and having a long range water plan is the key for Maverick County to flourish,” said Menchaca.

Maverick County must work with their Mexican counterparts in protecting the water quality of the Rio Grande and developing an environmentally clean water plan so that the community can prosper and flourish.

“We will never know the worth of water until there is none left. Water takes up 70% of our Earth but only 2.5% of that water is fresh water. We have yet to create a way to drink salt water. Until then we will survive on that 2.5% of fresh water. In Maverick County I have said before we rely on the Rio Grande River and we found that our water gets contaminated by our own selves,” said Alexa De La Garza.

The students recommended a bi-national water watch group be formed to monitor the water quality of the Rio Grande River and develop a clean water plan for the Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila border area.

“The quality and quantity of our water does not seem like a major issue now, but in time if we continue mistreating our water the quality and quantity of our water will be one of the most important factors in our global society. Water is a driving force of nature. Without it, not one organism can survive,” concluded De La Garza.